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Article: Dial X for export. (GEC Plessey Telecommunications)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 14, 1988
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 1988 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TEN companies compete to sell a full range of telecommunications equipment, in a world where development of a new telephone exchange costs over $1.5 billion. In the next generation, only four or five are likely to remain. The story of Britain's CEC/Plessey illustrates what may happen to those near the bottom of the league.
GEC Plessey Telecommunications (GPT) was formed on April 1st from the telecoms divisions of the two British companies. Its main product, the System x digital exchange, is number eight in the world rankings. Yet the company hopes to be numbered among the top handful by the end of the century, and has just announced that it will cut 8% of its ...